Springfield Cardinals Game

When someone asks, Do you like sports?  I kind of have an odd answer to that.  Sure I like sports if I’m right there watching, but I can’t stand to watch it on TV.  I think at home on tv there are too many distractions, but if you are there and in the game, yup, I’m all over that!

Last Friday night we got the chance to go to a Springfield Cardinals Minor League baseball game!  They were playing the Tulsa Drillers.  PC’s department (we work for the same company) had a group going and we tagged along.  He’d never been to a Springfield Cardinals game, only a Kansas City Royals game and Tbug said she’d never been to a baseball game.  This was my 3rd Springfield Cardinals game and I’ve also seen the St. Louis Cardinals play before.

Tbug saying she’d never been to a game before was a little lost so I explained the general rules when it came to baseball.  You know, an overview 🙂

Normally she wears glasses, but every time I’ve been to a game we’ve been stuck in the sun until the game is almost over so we let her wear her sunglasses in instead.  Plus we made sure she had on sunscreen, just in case.  Well this time we lucked out and we were in the shade the whole time.

 

I really think they swapped out between 3 pitchers.  One was better than the others, but shhh don’t tell them I said that :).

 

I wish I’d have taken my big camera, but the battery was dying on it, so I was going to take my point and shoot and same thing.  Gah, you think I’d charge batteries every once in a while!  So I took my new toy, which is only 5megapixels but it still worked.  Although the zoom isn’t everything I’d hope for…

 

Here the Springfield Cardinal (right) was having a dance off between the kids (left.

 

 

 

The kids won.

 

Here is their crest.  Very similar to the St. Louis Cardinals.  That’s why a lot of fans wear their St. Louis gear.

 

 

 

It’s hard to see but the ball that was just pitched was going 89mph.  Dang!  Some of them were down in the 70’s but one of the pitchers actually was pretty consistently pitching in the 90 range.

 

They wound up winning the game.  The Drillers didn’t score until the 5th inning.  I think if I remember right the final score was 7-5, but I may be wrong there….

 

At the end of every Friday night game for the rest of the season AM Pyro sponsors a fireworks display.  It was pretty wicked!!!

 

My camera so doesn’t do it justice!

4th of July – Food Post

Ok first off, My wedding got featured today by the Lovely Ashley at Life After the Aisle.  You should jont over there and check it out and let her know you stopped by!

Now on with the rest of today’s post:

With the 4th of July fastly approaching us, I thought I would share some quick, simple recipes that maybe you might enjoy on this fantastic holiday!

******************************

Grilled Lettuce
Romaine lettuce, gently brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with seasoning and grilled.  Then cut up for salad.  Then add garnishings such as grape tomatoes & onion.
My friend Kathy says it reminds her of Wilted Lettuce.

******************************

Beer Bread
16 oz Beer – Not a dark ale
3 cups self rising flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt

Mix together.  Spray pan with non stick cooking spray and put in a 350 degree F oven for 1 hour.

******************************

Spinach Dip
1-10oz pkg frozen spinach thawed and squeeze out juice, drain well.
1-8oz can sliced water chestnuts
1/2 small onion chopped fine
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
1 envelope Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix (dry)
1 large loaf sourdough bread (round)

Combine Spinach, water chestnuts and onion and chop well or blend in a blender.  Combine mayo, sour cream and dry soup mix.  Mix well.  Add the spinach mixture to this and mix well.  Cut top from bread and hollow out center.  Keep the center of bread for dipping.  Fill the bread bowl with the dip.  Lay the other bread around the outside of bread bowl.  You can also use crackers for dipping.

******************************

Cheese Dip
1 pkg Velveeta
1 8oz  pkg cubed pepper-jack cheese
1 can Rotel

Mix ingredients until warm and creamy.

Serve with Tortilla Chips.

 ******************************

Scotcheroo’s
Bring to a boil
1 cup sugar and 1 cup white corn syrup.  Remove from heat and blend with 1 cup peanut butter.  Add 6 cups rice krispies and pour into 9×13 buttered pan.  Press down evenly.

Melt in a double boiler 1 6oz pkg chocolate chips (milk), 1 6oz pkg butterscotch chips.  Spread evenly over the cereal mixture.  Allow enough time for toping to set up.  Cut into bars and stor in air tight container.

 ******************************

Peanut Butter Balls
1 pound powdered sugar (approx 4 cups)
1 stick oleo (melted)
2 cups peanut butter
1 pkg chocolate almond bark

Mix sugar, melted oleo and peanut butter.  Roll into balls.  Coat hands with powdered sugar to keep from sticking.  Next melt chocolate bark and dip balls then put on wax paper to dry.

Optional can add 2 cups rice krispies if you want crunch balls.

******************************

Bean Dip
Taco Bell Refried Beans
Couple Dollops of Sour Cream
Taco Seasoning to taste

Mix together, heat and enjoy!

******************************

Luscious Slush Punch
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups white sugar
6 cups water
2 (3oz) pkgs strawberry flavored gelatin mix
1 (46 fluid oz) can pineapple juice
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 quart orange juice
2 (2 liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage

Directions:
1.  In a large saucepan, combine sugar, water and strawberry flavored gelatin.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Stir in pineapple juice, lemon juice and orange juice.  Divide mixture in half, and freeze in 2 separate containers.
2.  When ready to serve, place the frozen contents of one container in a punch bowl, and stir 1 bottle of lemon-lime soda until slushy.

******************************

I have had all of these.  No not recently, therefore no pictures, but they are so good and super easy so I thought I would share in case you are looking for some new ideas on things to make for this 4th of July or really any time of the year or any occasion… like a random Wednesday.  Hope you enjoy!

p.s. Don’t forget to try your luck at a quote or name for yesterday’s photo.  It’ll be worth it *hint hint*

Beef! It's What's For Dinner

So one of these days I’ll have to tell you about my husband’s birthday present, and the fact that he got it on Father’s Day.  Now you may be thinking cool… but I’ll also warn you, he got his Father’s Day present in April and he got his Birthday present in June… His birthday is November the 1st.  Yes, there’s good reasons for both.  In fact his Father’s Day present was a joint Mother’s Day present that we both received in April.  Clear as mud right 🙂

Anyway since some people think it should be meatless Monday and especially pushing it off on school kids, who sometimes the only source of good protein they get comes from a school lunch, I feel like promoting Meat FULL Monday!  Meat is the best source of protein!  So I’m going to share a hamburger recipe with you.  Oh and a side dish :).  Hope you enjoy!

Tex-Mex Chicago Burger &
Garlic & Onion Potatoes

Ingredients for Hamburger:
1 lb Hamburger
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1/4 diced onion
2-3 tbsp Jack Daniels Dijon Mustard
Chicago Lake Shore Drive Seasoning

Ingredients for Potatoes:
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Onion
Garlic
Butter

Place the hamburger in the bowl.  Add the pkg of taco seasoning (desired amt), diced onion and Jack Daniels Dijon Mustard.  Mix together.  Form patties.

Slice your potatoes up into thin slices so you get circles.

Cut your onion in half length wise and then thinly slice each half so you get half moons.  Mince up your garlic.

Layer potatoes, onions, garlic and butter in baking dish.

**We used Aluminum foil since we grilled them instead of microwave**

 Place on a hot grill.  (Potatoes can be made in the microwave in a microwave safe dish)

And while your husband is grilling…. you should relax

Season top side with Chicago Lake Shore Drive Seasoning** (or seasoning of your choice).

Flip burgers and season other side.

Cook until desired doneness.

 
Place on a hamburger bun (or not) and garnish with condiments of choice.

Random Piece of Info:  Research found that getting 25-30 grams of protein in each meal protects muscle when you’re losing weight.
… Lean Beef contributes less than 5% of the total calories and saturated fat in the American Diet.

And for those of you who want to grill out but don’t have a grill… now you can get a disposable grill. (No they weren’t $99 that was the sign above it, I think the grill was like $16 maybe, I don’t remember)

**If you happen to be in Chicago, visit the Spice House at 1512 North Wells St Chicago.  Do you know where Evanston, IL is?  visit their store at 1941 Central St.  Geneva, Il, visit them at 577 south Third St.  If you aren’t in the area but would like to see their spices, visit their website. (Nope, they aren’t paying me for this, they don’t even know me, in fact I didn’t even go there, my mom brought it back to PC from a work trip, but I just sometimes get asked where I find all of our spices.  Remember my husband is the spice king!)

Tex-Mex Chicago Burger
1 lb Hamburger
1 pkg Taco Seasoning
1/4 diced onion
2-3 tbsp Jack Daniels Dijon Mustard
Chicago Lake Shore Drive Seasoning

Place the hamburger in the bowl.  Add the pkg of taco seasoning, diced onion and Jack Daniels Dijon Mustard.  Mix together.  Form patties.  Place on a hot grill.  Season top side with Chicago Lake Shore Drive Seasoning** (or seasoning of your choice).  Flip burgers and season other side.  Cook until desired doneness.  Place on a hamburger bun (or not) and garnish with condiments of choice.

Garlic & Onion Potatoes
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Onion
Garlic
Butter

Slice your potatoes up into thin slices so you get circles.  Cut your onion in half length wise and then thinly slice each half so you get half moons.  Mince up your garlic.  Layer potatoes, onions, garlic and butter in baking dish.  Then place on the grill (or in the microwave) and cook until desired doneness.

Happy Eating

And here’s a great Meat Loaf recipe from Crystal.Cattle, check it out!

Sunday Night Dinner PotLuck

I made these a few weekends ago for Sunday night dinner.  Not bad.  I think I like Stromboli better, but this was very similar so there isn’t a whole lot I can say I didn’t like.  Everyone at dinner really liked them so that’s a plus, right 🙂

Pizza Rolls

Ingredients
1 pkg pizza crust
1 bag mozzarella cheese
Pepperoni cut into small pieces
Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 jar pizza sauce

Directions:
1.  Roll dough out into a rectangle.  Melt butter and spread over dough.

2.  Mix Italian seasoning and garlic.  Sprinkle over butter.  {we actually used our garlic & pepper seasoning but not everyone has access to that}

(more…)

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

So yesterday I told you that we made butter at my house this weekend.  Well truthfully, you have to do something with it, right… yup, that’s just what we did.  We decided to make cookies.  And of course then on Sunday we ate it as plain butter on rolls.  Grandma’s rolls, even better!

So I don’t remember where I stumbled across this recipe.  If it looks familiar to you, please let me know what blog I found it on.  Thanks 🙂  I even googled trying to find it and most of them are stuffed… these weren’t stuffed.

So on with the cookies!:

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

Ingredients:
1 stick softened butter (or 1/2 cup)
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream butter

and sugars

until well combined.   

Add egg and

vanilla 

until mixed well. 

 2.  Place flour,  

baking soda,

and salt into a large bowl,

stir to combine.  

Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

Then stir in chocolate chips

And broken up oreos

until just combined. 

3.  With a medium cookie scoop,

scoop onto baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.  Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack.  

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies
1 stick softened butter
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
11 broken pieces Oreo Cookies
1 cup chocolate chips

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cream butter and sugars until well combined.  Add egg and vanilla until mixed well.
2.  Place flour, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl, stir to combine.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients then stir in oreos and chocolate chips until just combined.
3.  With a medium cookie scoop, scoop onto baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes or until cooked, but still soft.  Let cool on baking sheet for 3 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack.

They were really good and would have tasted Great with some Raw Milk 😉

Tornado

**This too I did not write, Heather Nail Roy did but it’s so outstanding!  I don’t really want to remember that tornado, but the reality of it, is that it hit this area.  So I’m putting this in my blog so this too, I always remember**

It’s a common question in Joplin these days; were you affected by the Tornado? For 3 weeks now I have been telling everyone no, I wasn’t affected. I still have my house. I still have my clothes, the picutres hanging on my walls, the thousand toys that… my kids leave strewn all over the floor. I still have my marriage license, my kitchen plates, and my dogs. No one in my family died, and we didn’t lose our jobs. But I’ve been lying to everyone. My own guilt, or shame, or pride maybe…I don’t know…has kept me from admitting that I WAS AFFECTED in more profound ways than losing personal posessions. First I felt guilty because the F5 tornado that ripped up 30% of the town I’ve lived in for more than 40 years, missed my house by 3 blocks. So many people lost so much, and not so much as a shingle was damaged on my house. I felt guilty because I got to hold my kids that night and tell them I loved them and tuck them in bed. I got to kiss my husband and hold his hand and feel comfort that he was there. I listened to story after story of survival and was in awe of the strength of those close to me that lived through this nightmare. I went to work and warmed a chair for a whole week, consumed with reading as much as I could about the rebuilding efforts that have been ongoing since immediately after the storm. I couldn’t take my eyes off the radar tracking the storms that continued to plague Joplin in the days immediately following the tornado. It took me about a week to actually venture into the disaster zone. I drove south on Rangeline to 32nd street, then west to Maiden Lane. I turned and drove to 26th street where Cunningham park is…was. My oldest daughter was married in the pavillion that used to sit within easy sight of St. John’s hospital. It’s all gone.

(more…)